A primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved bib design that is suitable both for adult care such as care of the elderly, handicapped or disabled persons as well as infants which, of course, require a smaller size. When used with adults, the device will normally be referred to as a protective covering or clothing protector rather than a bib. The construction, however, will be the same.
In the past, protective coverings presented a bad appearance and, because they were associated previously only with infant care, were found objectionable by handicapped or aged adults. An important object of the invention, then, is to provide an improved protective covering which presents a greatly improved appearance and allows the clothing of the person to be seen beneath it. Prior bibs or protective coverings were also difficult to clean. Especially if a pocket was provided for catching crumbs, it was difficult or almost impossible to clean out the pocket without laundering the entire article.
A further problem is that the bibs previously available do not easily follow the contours of the body and the pocket, when present, would not, when the bib was contoured to the natural curvature of the body, stand in an open condition. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved bib or protective covering having a pocket which stands in an open position with a further provision for the bib to automatically conform to the natural contours of the body when secured around the neck by the user and for the curvature of the bib around the body to assist the pocket in standing in an open position so that its effectiveness in catching spilled food is maximized.